Nansemond River Crossing

The Nansemond River Crossing Project involves replacing transmission structures in the Nansemond River that have significant steel and concrete deterioration. The 230kV double-circuit line provides critical electric service to the City of Suffolk and the surrounding Tidewater region.

Recent

The State Corporation Commission (SCC) issued its Final Order on June 8, 2016, granting the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the Nansemond River Crossing Project. Construction is set to begin in October 2016.

Benefits

Help strengthen the electric grid

Replace aging infrastructure

Ensures reliable electric service for the community

No New Right of Ways Required

Overview

Dominion Energy plans to build seven new transmission structures adjacent to the original structures in the existing right of way corridor. Demolition of the existing structures will occur after the new transmission line is energized and will be completed within three months.

Of these, five existing lattice structures in the water will be replaced with five similar galvanized steel lattice structures. Two existing lattice structures - one on either side of the shore - will be replaced with two galvanized steel monopoles.

An additional 0.72 miles from the eastern side of Crittenden Road (SR 628) to the western riverbank and from the eastern side of Bridge Road (US 17) to the eastern riverbank in Suffolk, Virginia, will be also be used for construction activities associated with fiber optic wire replacement and relocation. This work will be completed within the existing right of way corridor and will ensure reliable communications.

Pending regulatory approval and time-of-year restrictions, construction on the new transmission line will begin in October 2016 and will be completed in April 2017.

Maps

Engineering Displays

Photo simulations and diagrams provide representational views of proposed electric transmission facilities. These illustrations do not necessarily depict exact structure design or physical placement. All projects are subject to change and to final engineering.

Why is this project needed?

All seven structures – five in the water and two on the shore – have been in place since the 1960s. The structures have significant steel and concrete deterioration that warrant their replacement.

Will the structures look different?

The height of the transmission structures is set in accordance with electrical clearances and other regulations intended to safeguard the public. The new structures in the water will be a similar style supported by taller foundations. The modern foundations are designed to reduce salt water exposure and withstand storm surges.

The overall average height increase for the structures in the water will be 8 feet for four structures and 14 feet for one structure.

The structures on the shore will be 10 feet and 20 feet taller than the existing structures, and single pole structures were selected (over towers) to minimize the structure footprint on land and avoid existing underground utilities.

Can Dominion Energy build the entire line underground?

We have studied the initial timelines and costs associated with potentially submerging this line. Our research confirmed that keeping the line overhead is the preferred option from an operational, reliability and cost perspective. An underground line would have a larger environmental impact and would require transition stations on either side of the water crossing. These stations would require the purchase of property, as well as additional time for siting, construction and permitting. Ultimately, the scope of the project will be determined by the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

Will Dominion Energy repair damage due to construction?

Yes. Our easement agreements allow us access to private roads of property owners crossed by the right of way. The company, at its expense, will repair any private roads damaged by Dominion Energy or its contractors during construction of the line or during future maintenance. In addition, we will reimburse property owners for crop damage, and repair or replace fences or gates if we damage them.

Should I be concerned about electric and magnetic fields?

Dominion Energy is sensitive to public concern about possible health effects from exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMF). Dominion Energy includes data on the levels of both electric and magnetic fields produced by proposed facilities in all applications submitted with the State Corporation Commission (SCC). We continually monitor EMF research and speak to our customers and employees regularly to share the latest information available.

The Virginia SCC, which regulates the construction and operation of electric transmission lines of 138kV and above, considers EMF in every application. Hearing Examiner’s remarks from recent proceedings are below.

May 4, 2010 Hayes-Yorktown (Case Number PUE-2009-00049) Report of Deborah V. Ellenberg, Chief Hearing Examiner, states, "I find that EMF has not been identified as a carcinogen for human beings despite extensive study over many years, and there is, therefore, no basis on which to prohibit the Company from authorizing appropriate uses of its right of way."

August 23, 2011 Hollymead (Case Number PUE-2011-00015) Report of Michael D. Thomas, Hearing Examiner, states, "The proposed facilities do not represent a hazard to human health, which finding is consistent with the Virginia Department of Health’s report entitled Monitoring of Ongoing Research on the Health Effects of High Voltage Transmission Lines (Final Report) dated October 31, 2000."

May 1, 2015 Brambleton-Mosby (Case Number PUE-2014-00086) Report of Howard P. Anderson, Hearing Examiner, states, “Expert panels formed by national and international scientific agencies have evaluated the scientific research related to health and power-frequency EMF and provided conclusions that form the basis of guidance to governments and industries. It is the general scientific consensus of the health agencies reviewing this research that at levels associated with the operation of the proposed transmission line, or other common sources of EMF in the environment, the research does not support the conclusion that EMF causes any long-term, adverse health effects.

The Virginia Department of Health in its final report evaluating EMF research concluded:

"Based on the review and analysis of the exhaustive literature review and other research projects completed under the EMF-RAPID program, the Virginia Department of Health is of the opinion that there is no conclusive and convincing evidence that exposure to extremely low frequency EMF emanated from nearby high voltage transmission lines is causally associated with an increased incidence of cancer or other detrimental health effects in humans. Even if it is assumed that there is an increased risk of cancer as implied in some epidemiologic studies, the empirical relative risk appears to be fairly small in magnitude and the observed association appears to be tenuous. The studies published in the literature lack clear demonstration of a cause and effect relationship as well as a definitive dose-response gradient."

Are there exposure standards for 60 hertz EMF?

In the United States, there are no federal standards limiting occupational or residential exposure to 60 hertz EMF. At least six states have set standards for transmission line electric fields; two of these also have standards for magnetic fields (see table below). In most cases, the maximum fields permitted by each state are the maximum fields that existing lines produce at maximum load-carrying conditions. Some states further limit electric field strength at road crossings to ensure that electric current induced into large metal objects such as trucks and buses does not represent an electric shock hazard. Of these states, edge of right of way magnetic field standards range from 150-250 mG, see chart below (Source, page 46, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - Electrical and Magnetic Fields).